Monday, April 27, 2015

I take pride in having few principles, but was forced to compromise when Roscoe had to be put to sleep. Though I've lost friends and lovers over the years, I've only attended the cats' funerals.Like most, he had his proclivities....like his love of vaseline. We'd proffer it as dessert; a delicacy he enjoyed to the last. Thus, the bottle in the left.

His penchant for pens got him dubbed a Pentab. With it between his teeth his eyes would glaze over with ferality and he'd remove to his lair; he was partial to Papermates.

The tears flow as we lay to rest a family member after 16 years. He brought much joy to our lives and helped us through many struggles with Christmas ribbon. He was a great protector from interlopers who wanted to pee in our yard and often reminded me when I had forgotten to turn off the stove. He was a fine leaper at feathers and always maintained his cool even in the face of severe cuddling.

Friday, April 17, 2015

And the rains came. The view changed every few minutes so there was no lack of entertainment.

Somewhat self-consciously usurping the best seat in the house, I sat my ground for two days. In that time several interesting folks surmounted the intimidation factor and stopped to partake of the view. The first, a Norwegian Instructional Technologies (IT) specialist (John Petter Hagen) attending a conference in Las Vegas, said it all when he enthusiastically emoted: "It takes your breath away!!" We commiserated on the depredations caused by livestock. He said they have similar problems with reindeer.

The couple from Wales were vanning it and equally effusive. It's always great to meet folks whose appreciation rivals my own...and she has a sister who's an artist. Quickly employing today's technology, she whupped out her tablet and showed me some of her work. It was good enough to excite my dormant Marketeering desires. Of course it was hard to ignore the first image: multiple nude females cavorting in Matisse-esque postures with a lush and equally sensual landscape.

And last but by no means least was the man from Zurich. He was on a Suzuki motorcycle and imparted his knowledge of tires. I learned about road versus offroad pattern ratios and got to use some of my vestigial German.

But I needed shelter in which to cook. There've been a couple of occasions when I created shade, but this was my first attempt to fend off rain....so it took a while. Of course, one of the advantages of the lifestyle is the like, total disregard for expediency. As it happened, the result was better than anticipated. I was so pleased I felt compelled to THOROuGHLY document it.

Though impressed by my creativity, I later swapped the rake for a five-gallon jug.

Port side ties went to the radio antennae and the hub caps. The antennae served as a centering device with a secondary guy to the rear-view mirror taking the "weight."

Ensconced -- that's the coffeepot on the right burner. Yes, it's cowboy coffee. And it does a right fine job of growin' yer nose hare. The propane tank hails from Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon where a kindly dealer traded me straight across for my backyard grill behemoth.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

I spent the past week roaming the area west by northwest of Blanding and Bluff. Road conditions vary with many having extended sections of what appears to be sand but is, in fact, clay.

When it gets damp it becomes slippery; and when it gets wet it forms a thick, impassable gumbo.

I was camped near The Twist on Hole-in-the-Rock Rd when clouds started to gather. It meant leaving sooner than planned, but after an all-night rain the next evening I was glad I'd made the decision. I could move about in The Valley of The Gods without having ten pounds of mud on my feet (see next post).For those unfamiliar, Cedar Mesa is said to have more archeological sites than anywhere else in the world. And this is the best time of year to visit. By the end of next month daytime temperatures will average 35 degrees centigrade and higher (upper nineties).

Monday, April 13, 2015

Next time you're on interstate 40 about forty miles West of Albuquerque, you may wanna stop at the Laguna Indian Arts Center of New Laguna Pueblo. They have some excellent Kachinas (including a few contemporary ones wearing tennis shoes), jewelry (there are/were a couple of money clips that are especially good deals) and much more...all of which is authentic, Native American crafted work.

Watch for the Laguna Burger exit and follow old route 66 about a New York block past the gas station. The Center sits back from the highway a little. The window at the left end (with the awning) is where they dispense the fry-bread.

It's family owned and operated. If you go, please say hi to Dom (short for Dominic) for me. And don't hesitate to engage with him or his friends on topics of discussion; the place is a hot-bed of debate.

About Me

﻿I retired from arts administration in 2004. In January of 2010 I went nomadic in my 3-cylinder 1999 Chevy (Suzuki) Metro hatchback that got 50mpg. Then, after an altercation in April 2016 with a RAM 2500 (my fault) I switched to a 1996 Geo Tracker with 4WD.
Currently (2/6/18) in the wilds of southern Arizona enjoying the warmth of climate change.
Destination is by whim.
-- email: mfhalb@gmail.com --
More photos on flickr at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mfhalb/sets